We're delighted to announce that I Love Blue Sea has joined Vital Choice. We share the same passion for health and vitality, and we offer you easy access to an even wider variety of premium seafood that is among the purest and most nutritious available. Please accept our offer of a 10% discount on your first order. Simply use code ILOVEVC at checkout. Welcome to the Vital Choice family.

Canadian researchers report that a substance they discovered in tangerines prevented obesity in mice fed a junky diet.

Better yet, it produced metabolic changes that should reduce the risk of developing diabetes and discourage atherosclerosis … the underlying condition responsible for most heart disease.

The study was led by Murray Huff, a vascular biologist at The University of Western Ontario’s School of Medicine.

Two years ago, Huff’s lab drew international attention when they discovered a flavonoid in grapefruit called Naringenin, which also offered protection against obesity and other signs of metabolic syndrome in mice (Mulvihill EE et al. 2009).

(Flavonoids constitute most of the antioxidants in plant foods … they’re a subset of the larger group of plant-source antioxidants called polyphenols.)

And, as Huff says, “What’s really interesting to us is that Nobiletin is ten times more potent in its protective effects compared to Naringenin, and this time, we’ve also shown that Nobiletin has the ability to protect against atherosclerosis.” (UWO 2011)

Tangerine agent seen as potential ally against diabetes and heart disease

The second group of mice, fed the exact same diet but with Nobiletin added, experienced no rise in their levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or glucose, and gained weight normally.

The Nobiletin-fed mice also became much more sensitive to the effects of insulin … a good thing.

Nobiletin was shown to prevent the buildup of fat in the liver by stimulating the expression of genes involved in burning excess fat, and inhibiting the genes responsible for manufacturing fat.

“The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity,” said Dr. Huff. “And in longer-term studies, Nobiletin also protected these animals from atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in arteries, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.”

Genetic effects support findings; human potential seen

When the team exposed isolated mouse cells to Nobiletin, they detected “nutrigenomic” effects that explain the metabolic protections it produced in the animal’s bodies.

Huff went on to note the experiments’ human implications: “This study really paves the way for future studies to see if this is a suitable treatment for metabolic syndrome and related conditions in people.”

That prospect for drug development probably helps explain why, although most of the funding came from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the research was funded in part by the Pfizer Corporation’s Canada Cardiovascular Research Program.

Whether or not a drug based on Nobiletin ever sees the light of day, it will still make sense for most people to favor the whole tangerine fruit, which contains many other beneficial antioxidants as well as fiber.

Plus, it’ll be free of side effects, and will always taste far better than any pill!